Chapter 1374 He Has Returned
Step by step, as Lin Xun walked along the familiar path up Mind Cleansing Peak, he couldn’t help but fall into a trance.
After over ten years, many changes had taken place. The sight was somewhat unfamiliar with many new buildings and pavilions.
He still clearly remembered that the first time he had set foot on Mind Cleansing Peak, it had been desolate as far as the eye could see!
“It has taken so much effort to have this kind of scenery... How can I just let it be destroyed?” Lin Xun murmured in his heart.
He had poured his heart and soul into this place, and it was also the place that his clan had cultivated and guarded for generations.
Even though it had witnessed many changes, had been dimmed and on the decline, as long as the Lin Clan still remained here, there would be a time when they restored the glory of the past!
Lin Xun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the killing intent that was seething in him.
At the top of the mountain, Mind Cleansing Hall was brightly lit. Outside the hall stood many figures, seemingly waiting for something. The atmosphere seemed heavy as their faces were filled with worry.
No one even noticed when Lin Xun and Lin Xuefeng approached.
“Huh?” Stunned by the sight, Lin Xuefeng grabbed a person and asked, “What’s going on?”
It was an attendant of the Lin Clan. Upon recognizing Lin Xuefeng, he hurriedly said, “Reporting to Young Master Xuefeng, an emissary who claims to be from the Zuo family has just arrived, saying that he wanted to offer our clan a deal. He’s currently inside the Mind Cleansing Hall.”
An emissary from the Zuo Clan!
Lin Xuefeng’s face sank. A deal? It definitely wasn’t anything good.
He turned to Lin Xun and saw the latter wave his hand and say, “Remain calm.”
At the same time, Lin Xun spread his spirit sense and let it envelop the entire Mind Cleansing Hall.
......
“As long as the Lin Clan cedes Mind Cleansing Peak from tomorrow onwards and sends all of your forces to the border battlefields to atone for your sins, the Zuo Clan and the Qin Clan will ask His Highness the Third Prince to show you leniency, and your clan won’t be charged with treason.”
Zuo Wenkun stood with his arms crossed in the Mind Cleansing Hall, speaking leisurely with an arrogant expression.
He was neatly dressed in refined clothes. On his wrinkled, long, and narrow face was a pair of triangular eyes.
He was an elder of the Zuo Clan, and he was here to deliver an ultimatum to the Lin Clan.
Even though he was alone, he was fearless.
The Lin Clan was isolated while facing threats from all directions. They were only one charge of treason away from complete demise!
The atmosphere was utterly heavy in the brightly lit hall. Only Zuo Wenkun’s lofty and overbearing voice was echoing.
A number of high-ranking seniors of the Lin Clan were sitting there. Among them were the important people of the four side branches such as Lin Huaiyuan, Lin Beiguang, Lin Xixi, and Lin Yunheng, as well as Lin Zhong, Spirit Vulture, Xiaoke, and Third Old Zhu...
However, their expressions were all gloomy. Some were even so furious that their eyes were bloodshot and they looked to be on the verge of exploding.
“You people are really trying to push our Lin Clan to death,” Spirit Vulture sighed softly.
Surrendering Mind Cleansing Peak was tantamount to forsaking the foundation that the Lin Clan had been building for generations.
Sending all their forces to fight at the borderlands to ‘atone for their sins’ was no different from becoming exiled prisoners, which would most likely result in a scenario where they could never return!
The Lin Clan could not afford to accept either of these conditions.
Everyone present understood this clearly, so when they learned of the purpose of Zuo Wenkun’s visit, their expressions were all unsightly, while their hearts were filled with indescribable grief.
Over ten years ago, their Lin Clan had risen from the decline and jumped to the top among the top of the medium clans in one fell swoop. Without accidents, they could sooner or later enter the rank of high clans and recreate their past glory.
But unexpectedly, the accidents had occurred after the drastic changes in heaven and earth that had been going on for over a decade!
By this point, the strength of the Lin Clan had been cut by half in the battlefield, causing their vitality to have greatly suffered. If they were charged with treason, then their extermination wouldn’t be very far off.
“But it still is much better than being charged with treason, isn’t it?” Zuo Wenkun smiled slightly. He enjoyed this feeling of being able to dictate the life and death of a clan.
“Bullshit! When has our clan ever committed treason?!” cursed the short-tempered Lin Beiguang, his face turning purple in rage. “Are you not afraid to lose the trust of the people by doing this?!”
Zuo Wenkun’s expression grew cold. “You’re overestimating your importance. The fall of a single Lin Clan won’t affect the big picture of the empire. Everything in this world is in the hands of those who hold true power, such as our Zuo Clan, the Qin family, and the...imperial family.”
Spirit Vulture frowned. “The crime of treason must be ruled by the great emperor. You don’t have this power.”
“Childish. It’s His Highness the Third Prince who is in charge of the government these days. With just a word from him, your clan can’t escape the treason label,” Zuo Wenkun snorted and paused for a second before adding, “Don’t forget that we have evidence. That monster-beast guard of your Lin Clan betrayed the empire!”
“Slander! You venomous snake!”
The crowd in the great hall erupted in rage. That was planted evidence!
“A crime can always be quickly found if one is determined to frame someone,” sighed Spirit Vulture.
He had completely understood that today, the Zuo Clan had sent an emissary not to make a deal at all, but to push the Lin Clan to their demise!
Zuo Wenkun snorted coldly. “Obstinate. I’ll ask one last time, do you really not intend to accept the goodwill from the Zuo and Qin clans?”
The atmosphere of the great hall instantly fell silent.
Spirit Vulture sat there like a statue without saying a word, while the other clansmen were filled with rage and grief.
They all felt an indescribable despair and helplessness.
The huge Lin Clan is done for, just like this?
Right at this moment, the doors to the main hall were pushed open.
Hmm?
Everyone was stunned, then displeased.
Today’s matter was of extreme importance as it concerned the survival of the Lin Clan. No one would dare to even come close without reporting.
But now, the doors were directly pushed open without a notification.
“Xuefeng, why are you back so quickly?”
Upon seeing that it was Lin Xuefeng at the doors, Lin Huaiyuan couldn’t help but frown as a bad feeling rose in his heart. Could it be that the third prince had...denied them help again?
The expressions of the other clansmen also became bleak.
Zuo Wenkun gave Lin Xuefeng a brief glance before saying expressionlessly, “My time is precious, so please make your decision quickly.”
“This decision is best made by me,” a calm voice suddenly resounded outside the great hall.
“Huh?”
Everyone in the hall immediately looked outside with their eyes wide open, looking as if they had been struck by lightning.
There, they saw a tall figure walking out from behind Lin Xuefeng. He was clad in moon-white clothes. His face was handsome and refined, and his eyes were dark and profound. He exuded an air that was out of this world.
They were all too familiar with this figure!
Xiaoke covered her mouth with her hand. Her almond eyes opened wide as she shivered with excitement, unable to speak.
“And you are? This is no place for a youngster like you to talk! Does the Lin Clan have no manners anymore?” Zuo Wenkun turned around with a frown and saw Lin Xun.
However, he didn’t recognize him and thought that the latter was a junior of the Lin Clan, hence his unceremonious rebuke.
The hall was dead silent as everyone seemed to be deaf to Zuo Wenkun’s words.
The silence was broken when Lin Zhong’s teacup slipped from his hand with a clang and splashed hot tea all over the ground.
But Lin Zhong didn’t notice at all. He just stared at the figure at the door and started to tremble violently.
The reactions of the other clansmen were almost the same as his. Their jaws dropped, and they seemed unable to believe their eyes.
Only then did Zuo Wenkun realize that something wasn’t right. His face darkened. “It seems that none of you have registered my words. Since that is the case, you’ll be responsible for whatever will happen next. I’ll take my leave here!”
He flung his hand and turned toward the door.
Right at this moment, the members of the Lin Clan abruptly stood up in unison and started speaking one after another.
“Clan Leader!”
“Clan Leader, is it really you!?”
“Is this real?!”
Their voices were noisy and mixed with a variety of emotions like excitement, surprise, absentmindedness, and disbelief as they felt as if they were in a dream.
“Clan Leader?” Zuo Wenkun was stunned.
Then, something flashed across his mind. Could that young man be...
“Lin Xun!?” he blurted out.
Zuo Wenkun started trembling all over as he finally understood why these Lin Clan’s bigwigs were out of control at the sight of the young man.
He was the legend that had raised up the Lin Clan.
He had single-handedly pressured all the major forces in the Forbidden City into retreating!
Because he was Lin Xun!
He was the head of the Lin Clan of Mind Cleansing Peak, the young rune founder that had garnered the attention of the whole world, the supreme genius who had been regarded as ‘the peerless young master whose brilliance fills the capital!’
Who in the Forbidden City and even the entire empire hadn’t known of Lin Xun’s name ten years ago?
“How can this be?” Zuo Wenkun froze on the spot, and his mind was in chaos.
Shouldn’t it be impossible for this person to return from the Ancient Wasteland Domain? All these years have passed without a trace of him, and he just suddenly appears tonight?
“Sorry, I came back a little late.” Lin Xun walked into the hall. His heart thumped with emotions as he swept his gaze over Lin Zhong, Xiaoke, Spirit Vulture, Third Old Zhu, Lin Huaiyuan, and the others.
“Good...good.... It’s good that you’re back, Young Master...” Lin Zhong was so thrilled that he burst into tears. His speech grew incoherent as his lips couldn’t stop trembling.
In these past several years, the Lin Clan had been caught in a whirlpool of turmoil. Lin Zhong couldn’t remember how many times he had feared that Mind Cleansing Peak would be buried in his own hands.
If such a thing ever happened, then he would never be able to rest in peace even if he died!
Seeing Lin Zhong like this, Lin Xun was apologetic. His hatred and resentment for the Zuo and Qin clans also reached the peak and were about to become uncontrollable.
Zuo Wenkun took a deep breath and asked in a heavy tone, “How could you still return?”
Inside, he was trying to comfort and calm himself down.
It’s just a young man who has only cultivated in the Ancient Wasteland Domain for a dozen years. What can he do even if he’s back? The situation has been finalized. He alone cannot overturn the tide!
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